Milk allergies can affect anyone, but they’re most often seen in infants and young children. Without using professional food allergy testing, you will not know for sure whether you or your child are allergic to dairy. Since even small amounts of dairy can trigger severe reactions in some cases, being examined by your Atlanta allergist is crucial for staying safe and healthy. So, what are the main steps in identifying and treating a milk allergy?
Best Ways to Discover if You Have a Milk Allergy
From butter and cheese to ice cream and yogurt, many popular foods carry a threat for those with milk allergies. The following steps can protect you if you believe you have an allergy.
Monitor Milk Allergy Symptoms
Pay attention to any symptoms that you experience after consuming milk. Common symptoms of a milk allergy include itching, hives, swelling, wheezing, respiratory issues and possibly an anaphylactic reaction. Unlike lactose intolerance (where symptoms often take hours to appear), milk allergy symptoms typically occur within minutes. Note that symptoms of lactose intolerance are more likely to involve bloating and stomach pain.
Keep a Food Diary
Keeping a food diary helps pinpoint dairy intake and subsequent reactions. Track everything consumed (including ingredients in meals), and record any symptoms and their severity. Your allergist will assess the information contained in your food diary before starting milk desensitization with OIT, or any other treatments that address your allergies.
Eliminate Dairy From Your Diet
Temporarily eliminating dairy from your or your child’s diet can offer valuable insight into how the immune system reacts. This strategy itself will not diagnose a milk allergy, but it will be easier to see whether milk consumption triggers allergy symptoms. To maintain good health, make sure to find alternate sources of calcium, vitamin D and protein that are often provided by dairy products.
Visit a Food Allergy Doctor
A food allergy doctor will conduct a comprehensive analysis of any possible allergies. To diagnose an allergy, your allergist will discuss symptoms, their severity, the types of foods that might trigger a reaction, along with your medical history. This information will be used in conjunction with allergy testing to confirm whether you have a milk allergy.
Undergo Allergy Testing for a Milk Allergy
Ultimately, if you want to know if you have a milk allergy, you will need to get tested. The most common test for a milk allergy is a skin prick test. However, blood testing and the oral food challenge are alternative options. These tests are the best way to determine if a person’s immune system is reacting to milk proteins, enabling the development of a milk allergy treatment to prevent severe reactions.
Visit Our Atlanta Area Food Allergy Doctors for Professional Allergy Testing
For food allergy testing and treatment, contact one of our food allergy treatment centers in Alpharetta, Atlanta, Canton, Cumming, Druid Hills, Duluth or Johns Creek. We provide lasting relief from allergies to milk and other foods. Call (678) 668-4688 or request an appointment today.
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